Computing networks can include any number of network devices such as routers, switches, hubs, servers, desktop PCs, laptops, and workstations, for example, and peripheral devices such as printers and scanners, for example, which are networked together across a local area network (LAN) and/or wide area network (WAN), for example. Information is transferred between computers within networks according to a communication protocol which defines rules and data format for exchanging information in the network. Information is transferred in the network in packets which include payload data packaged with a header containing information for the forwarding of the packet in the network, such as destination and origin information, protocol information, and error checking data, for example.
Forwarding of data packets, or packet forwarding, is carried out by routers, switches, and other network devices that employ some type of packet forwarding element or function that uses the header information to perform basic bridging, routing, ACL (Access Control List), and QoS (Quality of Service) lookup functions for determining how to forward the data packet. Often times, packet forwarding devices, such as routers and switches, for example, include multiple packet forwarding elements, such as multiple blades in a chassis switch configuration, and multiple switches connected in a stack configuration, for example.
As described above, it is commonplace in networks for packet forwarding decisions to be distributed across multiple forwarding devices in the network, such as multiple switches and routers, for example, and across multiple forwarding elements in the same device, such as multiple blades in switch or multiple switches in a stack, for example.